Mark writes "Governor Mark Warner was on AM 1140 today in Richmond, Virginia taking calls from the listening audience. I called to see if he has or knows of any plans in the Virginia legislature to pass Paternity Fraud laws similar to those in other states. After explaining it to the screener I was put on hold for a few minutes. Eventually the screener came back and said that he will save me the time because the governor NEVER HEARD OF PATERNITY FRAUD, but claims he (Governor Warner) did say that "Fraud is Fraud."
Perhaps he never did hear of it. If that is the case, I would love to inform him of it. Does anyone have or know of any god draft letters for politicians? I like to think that he wasn't dodging because he knew that it would be hard to defend why such laws shouldn't be passed."

Dianna Thompson of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children derided the National Organization for Women's new Family Court Report 2002 in the Los Angeles Times today (free reg. required), noting that the report was a "self-selecting survey among NOW constituents" and not objective research. Thompson also noted that US census data showed that women are granted custody 80% of the time and that "fathers have very small chances of getting even dual custody." Also, men's issues columnist Glenn Sacks blasted NOW. on KTRS AM 550 in St. Louis today, advising listeners that NOW's recently released report is a fraud designed to create the false impression that family courts are biased against women.

Here is the text of Trudy Schuett's speech to the recent NCFM forum. It's great to see Trudy point out that the seeds of anti-male hate have resided in feminism for a long time. This fact debunks the claim that early, second-wave feminism was a purely benevolent movement. I also loved her statement, "We didn't realize that feminism, by its own nature, cannot be about equity. It's right there in the word. The word isn't equalitarianism, it's feminism. The word itself suggests concentrating on women -- that they should be elevated in recognition, somehow. That can only be lopsided and unnatural."

Thanks for all the hard work and devotion, Trudy.

This article in the Washington Post covers a report by researchers Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe, directors of the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University. While men are described as "phobic," the article does quote some of men's reasons for avoiding marriage. Two examples include, "An ex-wife will 'take you for all you've got' and 'men have more to lose financially than women.'" Whitehead called the work, which was based on interviews with only 60 single men, a "pilot study" and called for a nationally representative examination of the situation.

Trudy W Schuett writes "The signs are put away, the speakers have gone home, but St. Paul Minnesota and the men's movement will never be the same! Read the commentary on how it all went at Men's News Daily." Update: Wendy McElroy has made a transcript available of the on-line chat that happened last Sunday, which can be viewed here. Wendy's speech at the NCFM event can be read here.

Glenn Sacks writes, "NOW launched an assault today on the Fathers' Rights movement with the publication of its new "Family Court Report 2002." Many fathers' rights groups are named in the report, including the ACFC and the NCFC. The John Knight/Fathers Manifesto fiasco is used against us, as well as the Warren Farrell/incest nonsense. It's getting a lot of publicity here. I suggest you download and take a good look at the report--if we do not fight this it will serve to kill much of the progress we have made in educating the public on anti-father family court discrimination."

The Washington Post reports on the continuing decline of male enrollment in US colleges and universities. It's interesting that they admit that the problem can no longer be "shrugged off." One has to question the sincerity of many of the people who are currently examining this crisis. There are still a few areas where women don't outnumber men and Jocelyn Samuels, vice president of the National Women's Law Center, states, "The job is not yet done." Also, note that the article does not mention the hardships that this development portends for men. Rather it comments on the fact that "the lack of marriable men is a hot topic of conversation among black women. They can't see it now, but that is going to happen for white women in the future."

Tonight, Sunday the 23rd, 9:00 p.m. EDT, join the free online ifeminists/mensactivism chat where Trudy Schuett, father's rights activist, and Wendy McElroy will discuss their participation in the path-breaking counter-NOW conference on June 21st. Trudy's speech during the conference has been transcribed and can be read here.

BusterB writes "The audacity of the Ontario court is astounding. The judges' claim (unanimous no less) is that the law as it stands clearly gives mothers the final say on whether to even acknowledge the father on the birth certificate, let alone name the child. There may be a Supreme Court appeal, but the Ontario court is held in high regard in Canada. Well, at least there was a dissenting opinion in the B.C. court, but notice that it was just a "dissenting opinion," not a victory for fathers. This is the same "justice" system that has struck down laws right, left, and centre when those laws infringe on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Someone explain to me just exactly why kiddie porn distributors' Charter rights are more important than fathers' Charter rights? Go figure."

Dan-Lynch writes "I saw this article on Men's News Daily. I think the topic of how father's are portrayed on television is worth discussing, as television is probably accredited to influencing in large our views and opinions. If the television industry standardizes the father's role we should definitely question the images that are projected."

warble writes "Currently, the CA Senate Committee of Judiciary is working on AB2240 (Stop Paternity Fraud). They are clearly friendlier to our side of the argument when compared to the Assembly Committee of Judiciary. For example, they have amended the act to permit a male victim of paternity fraud to receive compensation for damages....from the bio dad. Unfortunately, the female is still able to get a generous income from child support if she defrauds a wealthy man. Worse, the judiciary has absolute discretion in choosing to hear a DNA case. That means that the majority of victims will be ignored. This level of discretion needs to be removed. Also, they need to be encouraged to modify the declaration of paternity form. This will allow the mother to have an option of checking a box for being uncertain. There is also the option of the state requiring every male to have a DNA test to prove paternity. Now is the time to write to the committee with your suggestions for amendments. Don't wait because they are moving on this bill now. The contact information for the judiciary can be found here: Senate Committee of Judiciary. Write to them now - today - and let them know this fight is not over and that we want justice!"

The NCFM conference happening today (Friday, 2/21) will in fact be broadcast live on the internet. Raymond Cuttill from the Men's Hour is sponsoring the broadcast, which should begin at 7 PM Central Time and can be listened to via this Live365.com link (note that the link probably won't work until that time). Check it out!

Mark writes "While this editorial, from the Vancouver Sun, seems to have a slight slant towards women, it takes an interesting look at some of the issues around spousal abuse, including the use of it as a tool in divorce and custody, and socio-economic issues. While it looks at these things in the light of the current political state of British Columbia, a lot of what is said can be viewed quite broadly."

I thought I'd break this news, it's pretty cool. The NCFM-sponsored forum which will be happening on Friday in St. Paul is probably going to be broadcast live on the internet. I'm not sure if it will be just audio or both audio + video, but I promise to deliver details on how to tune in on the broadcast as soon as I hear further details from Ray Cuttill. Since this forum is intended to coincide with the N.O.W. conference going on in the same city that day, this event could have some very significant effects if the media gives it good coverage. Update: Check out the Men's Hour site for updates as the time gets closer to the event.

CJ sent in this Boston Globe article and writes "Women's sports advocates admonish the wrestling coaches and their supporters for targeting the wrong group with their lawsuit. They say it's bloated football programs that eat up the athletic budgets, not the new softball or women's soccer programs. Yet these same "advocates" fail to recognize that men's programs are getting cut despite student interest and participation levels in order to meet Title IX requirements. Also, there are more programs than just wrestling that have been cut. Like at UNH, the baseball program was cut while students were actively involved to meet this ridiculous sexist standard."